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Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (L) arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on July 9, 2023 [GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]
The Israeli government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Thursday evening asked Israel’s Supreme Court to issue a conditional order requiring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explain why he has not dismissed Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
In her request, Baharav-Miara said that “Minister Ben Gvir is abusing his position to improperly influence the activities of the Israeli police in some of the most sensitive areas of law enforcement and investigations, thereby violating basic democratic principles”.
Shortly afterwards, Minister Ben Gvir responded to the Attorney General’s letter by saying: “You are not taken into account!”
In her letter, the Attorney General’s claimed that “Minister Ben Gvir is working systematically to undermine the independence of the police in every possible way, using his broad authority and exerting unlawful influence – direct and indirect – over the use of force and operational decisions in specific incidents, including in highly sensitive matters”.
She added that she had reached an agreement with the minister, but that he had breached it, saying: “The minister is acting unlawfully and in violation of the explicit court rulings issued in his case.”
Baharav-Miara concluded: “At this stage, there is no choice but to conclude that the public cannot be protected from systematic conduct that harms the independence of the police. As stated, this threatens its nature as a non-political state body, with serious consequences for the protection of human rights and the rule of law. This situation results in a real violation of basic democratic values.”
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
A number of articles from Middle East Monitor. They state that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognised Somaliland without appropriate authority and that it is part of a deal the intention of which is to forcibly remove Palestinians to Somaliland.
Israeli prime minister under fire over recognition of Somaliland, Gaza talks with Trump
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Israeli opposition and Yesh Atid party leader, Yair Lapid, speaks to the press during a party meeting in Jerusalem, on 5 February, 2024 [Amir Levy/Getty Images]
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday over Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland and his talks with US President Donald Trump without a clear plan for Gaza, Anadolu reports.
Netanyahu announced Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state on Friday, a move Lapid said did not receive approval from either the government or the security cabinet.
“Israel announced it was the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state,” Lapid said in a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as cited in a video published by the Knesset Channel.
“This was not a decision of the government or the security cabinet. It was a decision of the prime minister’s office,” he added.
Lapid said several countries, including states in the region, condemned the recognition, adding that the Israeli move reflected the absence of a coherent foreign policy.
Israel became the world’s first country to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state, drawing condemnation from Türkiye, a close ally of Somalia, and countries in Africa and the Middle East, among others.
Global backlash grows over Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, with many countries condemning the move as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
Somaliland, which has lacked official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, operates as a de facto independent administrative, political, and security entity, with the central government struggling to assert control over the region and its leadership unable to secure international recognition of independence.
Lapid also criticized Netanyahu for travelling to meet Trump on Monday night without presenting an Israeli vision for Gaza.
“When an Israeli prime minister meets a US president, we wish him success,” he said. “But Netanyahu is arriving without a clear vision for Gaza. When you don’t have a vision, others decide for you.”
Lapid said that if Israel does not present a plan for Gaza, other actors, including the US and Hamas, will shape the outcome.
Netanyahu arrived in Florida late Sunday for a visit expected to last five days. The trip began with a preparatory meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the public broadcaster KAN.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump on Monday night to discuss several issues, including Iran and the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with talks expected to focus on moving to a second phase of the deal.
The second phase includes forming a temporary technocratic committee to administer Gaza, reconstruction efforts, the creation of a peace council, the establishment of an international force, additional Israeli military withdrawals, and Hamas’ disarmament.
The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, halting two years of Israeli war that has killed over 71,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,200 others since October 2023.
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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud makes a speech at the parliament in Mogadishu, Somalia on December 28, 2025. [Presidency of Somalia – Anadolu Agency]
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the breakaway region of Somaliland has agreed to resettle Palestinians and host an Israeli military base in return for recognition by Israel, citing intelligence reports.
Tel Aviv’s recognition of Somaliland was “very unexpected and strange,” Mohamud told the Qatari news network Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview, adding that it came “out of nowhere” as Israel became the first since 1991 to recognize the region as an independent state.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has operated as a de facto self-governing region without international recognition, as the central government in Mogadishu has failed to reassert control.
Mogadishu rejects Somaliland’s independence claim, considers the region part of Somalia, and views any direct engagement with it as a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
“We’ve been trying to reunite the country in a peaceful manner,” Mohamud said.
He said Somaliland also accepted joining the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco to normalize their relations.
Israel is seeking to control strategically important waterways such as the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Gulf of Aden, and its recognition of Somaliland merely normalizes an existing covert presence there, the Somali president said, citing intelligence reports.
He said Israel is not in the region for peace and seeks to forcibly displace Palestinians to Somalia.
Global backlash is growing over Tel Aviv’s recognition of Somaliland, with many countries condemning the move as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
On Monday, countries at the UN Security Council raised concerns at an emergency meeting that the move appears aimed at relocating Palestinians from Gaza.
Nearly all council members condemned Israel’s recognition, while the US abstained from condemnation, saying its stance on the breakaway region, however, had not changed.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim makes a speech during Turkiye-Malaysia Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 11, 2025. [Utku Uçrak – Anadolu Agency]
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday rejected Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somali territory of Somaliland, while linking the move with the alleged “forced transfer of Palestinians”, Anadolu agency reported.
“Such actions violate international law and humanitarian principles, and would only perpetuate injustice rather than contribute to peace,” he said during a news conference, according to the Malaysian daily The New Straits Times.
Anwar said that any attempt to use the territory “for the forced transfer of Palestinians is totally and wholly unacceptable.”
The remarks come as the Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday rejected Israeli plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, including to Somaliland, following Tel Aviv’s recognition of the breakaway region.
Anwar, while noting the recent discussions held in Florida for the next phase of the peace process, warned that any return to large-scale violence would exact an “intolerable cost” on civilians and further weaken fragile prospects for peace.
“Israel must be held accountable for its actions and obligations under international law,” he added.
Israel became the world’s first country to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state on Friday.
Global backlash grew over Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, with many countries condemning the move as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
On Friday, Somalia reiterated its absolute and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
Somaliland, which has lacked official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, operates as a de facto independent administrative, political, and security entity, with the central government struggling to assert control over the region and its leadership unable to secure international recognition of independence.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Trucks carrying food and fuel are passing through the Kissufim Border Crossing and heading towards Gaza under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and reach the Gaza Strip in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on November 06, 2025. [Mohammed Nassar – Anadolu Agency]
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Thursday that he urged Israel to expand access to humanitarian aid to “alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians” in Gaza, Anadolu reports.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Balakrishnan said he also conveyed “Singapore’s longstanding support for a negotiated two-State solution… as the only viable option to achieve a comprehensive, just and durable solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said a statement on the US social media company Facebook.
While visiting Ramallah, Balakrishnan also witnessed the handover of Singapore’s donation of $500,000 to the World Food Programme to “support its vital work in providing food assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
“Singapore will also continue to support the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s capacity-building efforts through our Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP),” he said, explaining Singapore’s aim to roll out two additional courses in 2026 on the digital economy and digital entrepreneurship as part of the ETAP.
“We hope these courses will be relevant to the PA as they prepare for eventual statehood,” he said.
Balakrishnan visited Palestine and Israel from Monday to Thursday.
The Israeli army has killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000 others in a brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The assault came to a halt under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Israel has heavily bombed Gaza City overnight with unconfirmed reports from the US news site Axios and the Jerusalem Post that the military has now launched its ground offensive to occupy the entire city.
Israeli strikes are also reported in central Gaza, in the direction in which thousands of people are fleeing. Palestinian officials say there are rising numbers of deaths and injuries.
The intensification came ahead of a long-threatened full-scale ground invasion of the city, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people.
It came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unwavering US support during a trip to Jerusalem on Monday.
Early on Tuesday morning, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, wrote on X, “Gaza is burning” and threatened that Israel, “will not relent and we will not go back – until the completion of the mission.”
Local journalists in Gaza say there have been almost constant Israeli air strikes and artillery and gunfire in Gaza City. Homes are said to have been destroyed, with people trapped in the rubble. There has been no official confirmation of a new ground incursion from the Israeli military.
Palestinians examine the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City Monday, September 15, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed unwavering support for Israel today after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, despite growing international anger over Israel’s air strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar and its intensifying bombardment of Gaza City.
As the leaders of Arab and Muslim states met in the Qatari capital Doha to condemn last week’s attack on a Hamas leadership meeting there, Mr Rubio and Mr Netanyahu stood shoulder to shoulder and downplayed the outcry over the strike, even though US President Donald Trump had made clear his displeasure at Israel’s action.
The State Department said that Mr Rubio would travel to Qatar on Tuesday for a brief visit, as the US administration appears keen to ease tensions between its two close allies, before flying on to London to join Mr Trump on his state visit to Britain.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Vote Labour for Genocide.
Palestinians examine the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City Monday, September 15, 2025